Mine car



R..L. EDGAR March 24, '1 931.

MINE CAR 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8 R. L. EDGAR March 24, I931.

MINE CAR File d June 8, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 His dw s R. L. EDGAR March 24, 1931.

MINE CAR Fild June 8, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ml g Patented Mar. 24, 1931' V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT L. EDGAR, OF BABNESVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WATT CAR AND WHEEL 00., F BARNESVILLE, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO MINE GAR Application filed June 8, 1929. Serial No. 369,403.

This invention relates to improvements in mine cars and particularly to mine cars of that type which have a composite bottom of sheet metal and wood.

Primarily, the object of the present invention is to provide a mine car that will have the capacity of a rigid all-steel car and, at the same time, will possess all of the advantages, and especially the flexibility, of acomposite bottom car.

More specifically, the invention consists in providing a pair of longitudinal sill members to which are secured the brackets for the axles of the car wheels and to which there are also secured sheet metal floor plates and wooden timbers constituting the composite floor. In order to increase the capacity of the car these sill members have a vertically disposed web and oppositely disposed flanges at their upper and lower edges, the lower flanges of the sills projecting toward each other and supporting the central portion of the car bottom, while the upper flanges of the sills pro ect away from each other and have attached thereto the sheet metal plates constituting the side portions of the car bottom. The wooden timbers that are used to lend flexibility to the car bottom are combined with the sheet metal plates constituting the central portion of a car bottom or, as above stated, are combined with those plates which are attached to the lower flanges of the sills but, in making up this composite central portion of the floor the timbers are suspended, so to speak, below the bottom flanges of said sills, whereby the depth of the car at the central portion thereof is increased by, at least, the thickness of the wooden timbers.

invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and the novel featuresthereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a car constructed in accordance with the present invention;

With these and other objects in view, the- Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken in a plane, including one of the axles;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken centrally of the car;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the car, this figure, as well as Fig. 4:, illustrating substantially only one-half of the length of the car.

As the invention relates to substantially nothing but the construction of the car bottom, various mechanisms commonly found on these cars are omitted, as it is not believed necessary or essential to show or describe such mechanisms as the brakes, the devices for dumping, etc.

In the preferred construction of the composition bottom there are provided longitudinally extending sills 10 each consisting of a vertically disposed intermediate web portion and upper and lower flanges 11, 12. The lower flanges are directed inwardly, so to speak, toward one another while the upper flanges project outwardly from the webs or toward the sides of the car. Secured to and extending outwardly from upper flanges 11 are sheet metal plates 13 constituting side portions of the car bottom. At the points in registry with the wheels 14, plates 13 are cut away and the openings closed by raised housings 15 to afford clearance for said wheels. At the proper points longitudinally of the car there are angle irons 16, 16a arranged in pairs, each extending transversely of the car with one flange 17 of each iron projecting downwardly. v Secured between each pair of angle bars 16, 16a are the brackets'18 for the axles 19 of wheels 14. These angle bars are secured in place by suitable fastening elements extending through flanges 12 and sheet metal plates 18a constituting the central bottom portion of the car. Inter mediate the two sets of angle irons 16a and abutting against the depending flanges 17 of the two juxtaposed angle irons are wooden spacer blocks 20 that are-held in place by metal straps 21 whose ends are attached to the brackets. These spacer blocks 20 aid in preventing displacement of the juxtaposed angle irons towards one another longitudinally of the car.

As shown in both Figs. 2 and 3 the car is thus formed with a longitudinal central bottom portion whose inner surface or upper surface is composed of sheet metal plates 18a secured to the under surface of flanges 12 of sills 10. However, in order that the car will possess the flexibility that will permit it to be subjected to rather heavy end-wise pres-- sures, or shocks, such as occur when a string of cars is bumped, the transverse central portion of the car bottom at each end of the car is composed of a plurality of wooden timbers 21a, 21?}, extending longitudinally of the car. Preferably, there are three such tin'ibers at each end of the car, the inner ends of the timbers abutting against the depending flanges 17 of the angle irons 16 and the outer ends of said timbers projecting somewhat beyond the end of the car body, at which point they are shaped and provided with a metal sheathing 22 to constitute bumpers for the car. As shown particularly in Figures 3 and 4 these timbers are suspended, so to speak, from the lower flanges 12 of sills 10, the inner ends thereof being gained or cut away to receive the ends of plates 18a, all the timbers being embraced by straps 23 that extend down the sides of the car and entirely across and beneath the car bottom. The straps, timbers and plates 18a are also connected together by bolts: or rivets 24 by means of which the draw bar 25 is held against longitudinal displacement. In this connection it should also be noted that center timbers 21a at opposite ends of the car are formed with alined grooves at their outer extremities so that the upper surface of the draw bar 25 is substantially flush with the upper surface of said timber. At the intermediate portion of the car, at which points the timbers 21a, 216 are omitted, the strap 23a engages directly against the metal plate 18a, the strap, draw bar and said metal bottom plate being secured together by rivets 24a. At the ends of the car the draw bar is also formed with an upwardly extending portion 26 which is secured to the draw bar proper by rivets 27. Again, axles of square cross-section at their intermediate portions are preferably used in order that the space or distance from the rail to the car bottom may be reduced to a minimum with a corresponding increase in car capacity. Square axles, however, are not a necessity so far as the bottom or floor constrilction of the car is concerned.

v;What I claim is: 1

1. In a mine car, a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal sills composed of vertically disposed webs and laterally disposed upper and lower flanges, the lower flanges of the two sills extending toward each other and the upper flanges projecting outwardly toward the sides of the car, wheel axles below said sills and sheet metal plates attached to said sills above said axles and forming the car bottom, the plates intermediatethe sills and forming the center portion of the bottom being attached to the bottom surfaces of the lower flanges of said sills, and the plates forming the side portions of the bottom being attached to the upper flanges.

2. In a center bumper mine car, a pair of" longitudinally extending metallic sills each having upper and lower flanges, a car bottom composed of sheet metal plates, the plates intermediate said sills being secured to the lower flanges thereof and the plates at the outer sides of said sills being attached to the upper flanges thereof, and wooden floor members at the ends of and intermediate said sills and beneath the intermediate metal plates.

3. In a mine car, longitudinally extending metal sills each having upper and lower flanges, wheel axles below said sills, sheet metal plates above said axles forming the center and sides of the car bottom, the center bottom plates being attached to the bottom surfaces of the lowerflanges of the sills and the side bottom plates being attached to the upper flanges of said sills.

4. In a center bumper mine car, a composite floor comprising longitudinally extending sills havin'g upper and lower flanges, wooden floor members at the ends of said floor forming the central portion thereof, said wooden members being supported from the bottom flanges of said sills, and sheet metal flooring forming the sides of said floor and the intermediate central portion between the end timbers, the sheet metal forming the sides of the floor being attached to the upper flanges of the sills and the intermediate central sheet metal flooring being attached to the bottom flanges of said sills.

5. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending metal sills each having an upper and lower flange, sheet metal plates intermediate said sills secured to the lower flanges thereof and forming the central portion of the car bottom, a second set of sheet metal plates attached to the upper flanges of the sills and forming the side portions of said bottom, and a plurality of wooden plankssupported below said lower flanges and the center portion of the car bottom.

6. In a mine car, extending sills, posed web portion, wheel axles below said sills,she'et metal plates intermediate said sills attached to the bottom surfaces of said sills and forming the center portion of the bota pair of longitudinally each having a vertically distom of the car and sheet metal plates sup 7. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills, each having a vertically disposed web portion, sheet metal plates intermediate said sills attached to the lower surface of said sills and forming the center portion of the bottom of the car, sheet metal plates attached to the upper surfaces of the sills forming the side portions of the car bottom, and wooden timbers at the ends of said bottom underlying the metal plates of the center portion of said bottom.

8. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills, each having a vertically disposed web portion, sheet metal plates inter mediate said sills attached to the lower surface of said sills and forming the center portion of the bottom of the car, sheet metal plates attached to the upper edges of said sills forming the side portions of the car bottom, wooden timbers at each end of the bottom underlying the plates of the center portion of the bottom, and a draw bar extending longitudinally of said bottom intermediate said plates and timbers.

9. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills, each having a vertically dis- 7 posed web portion, sheet'metal plates intermediate said sills attached to the lower surface of said sills and forming the center portion of the bottom of the car, sheet metal plates attached to the upper edges of the sills forming the side portions of the car bottom, longitudinally extending wooden timbers at each end of the bottom underlying the plates of the center portion of said bottom, said timbers having alined longitudinally extending grooves therein and a. draw bar in said grooves intermediate said timbers and plates.

10. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills each having an upper and lower flange, metal plates attached to said upper flanges forming the side portions of the car bottom, metal plates attached to said lower flanges and forming the central portion of said bottom, transverse angle irons secured to said sills, and Wooden timbers secured to said lower flanges and underlying the center portion of the car bottom at each end thereof, said timbers abutting said angle irons and projecting toward the adjacent end of the car.

11. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills each having an upper and lower flange, metal plates attached to said upper flanges forming the side portions of the car bottom, metal plates attached to said lower flanges forming the center portion of said bottom, transverse angle irons beneath said sills, longitudinally disposed timbers extending from beyond each end of the car bottom to and abutting against said angle irons, the portions of said timbers projecting beyond the ends of the cars constituting bumpers.

angle irons,

12. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills each having an upper and a lower flange, transverse angle bars arranged in pairs attached to said sills, a pair of axles, brackets for said axles between each pair of angle irons, sheet metal plates secured to the lower flanges of the sills forming the center portion of the car bottom, sheet metal plates attached to the upper flanges of the sills forming the side portions of said bottom, timbers abutting against one angle iron of each of said pairs of angle irons and extendin longitudinally of the car to an end thereo said timbers being disposed beneath the plates of the central portion of the car bottom, and means for securing said timbers to the lower flanges of the sills.

13. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills each having an upper and a lower flange, transverse angle bars arranged in pairs attached to said sills, a pair of angles, brackets for said angles between each pair of angle irons, longitudinally extending filler blocks interposed between said pairs of angle irons, sheet metal plates secured to 'the lower flanges of the sills forming the center portion of the car bottom, sheet metal plates attached to the upper flanges of the sills forming the side portions of said bottom, timbers abutting against one angleiron of each of said pairs of angle irons and extending longitudinally of the car to an end thereof, said timbers being disposed beneath the plates of the central portion of the car bot tom, and means for securing said timbers to the lower flanges of the sills.

14. In a mine car, a pair of longitudinally extending sills each having an upper and a lower flange, transverse angle bars arranged in pairs attached to said sills, a pair of axles, brackets for said axles between each pair of longitudinally extending wooden filler blocks interposed between said pairs of angle irons, metallic straps attached to sa d brackets for preventing displacement of said filler blocks, sheet metal plates secured to the lower flanges of the sills forming the center portion of the car bottom sheet metal plates attached to the upper flanges of the sills forming the side portions of said bottom, timbers abutting against one angle iron of each of said airs of angle irons and extending longitudlnally of the car to an end thereof, said timbers being disposed beneath the plates of the central portion of the car bottom, and means for securing said timbers to the lower flanges of the sills.

ROBERT L. EDGAR. 

